Daedalus favorite David Sedaris introduces 2010's Nonrequired Reading, the highly popular annual contribution to the Best American series, while the late Maurice Sendak provides a 13-panel cartoon for the cover. Along with his writing students in the 826 National program, Dave Eggers has unearthed pieces from Sherman Alexie, Stephen Colbert, Lilli Carré, Kurt Vonnegut, Barry Lopez, and George Saunders, to name a few, as well as Best American Tweets, Best American Overqualified Cover Letters, and Best American Illustrated Missed Connections. Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. Though Nonrequired Reading is unique in having its own editorial process, for the other titles a series editor reviews hundreds of periodicals, then selects between 50 and 100 outstanding works. The guest editor—a recognized expert in the field—then pares the list down to the 20 or so very best pieces.